


i want you to be happier

by starlonging



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: All the Foxes are there - Freeform, Andrew is so soft, De-Aged Neil Josten, Except the baby foxes, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-09-30 13:24:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17224859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlonging/pseuds/starlonging
Summary: Another de-aged Neil fic because I can't help it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me in random scenes today and they were just TOO cute to not write so here we are. This won't a have a lot of chapters, maybe four or five.
> 
> Also, sorry if anyone seems ooc. I tried.
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading!

Nicky blinked blearily as he sat up in bed. The room was still shrouded in darkness, the curtains shut firmly against the morning sun while Kevin’s snores echoed in the background like an ominous wake up alarm. Nicky poked at his cheek as he got up and Kevin batted at his hand, turning his face further into the pillow. The simplicity and normalcy of the action made him smile and he hummed a little as he made his way to the open door, intending to go to the kitchen for a glass of water before he fell back asleep. He vaguely noted Neil’s absence from his bunk, the sheets thrown back haphazardly so they hung down to Andrew’s bed and assumed the striker had woken up early and gone on his morning run.

Andrew would always describe Nicky as being overdramatic but Nicky believed that he was absolutely in his rights to _scream_ once he stepped foot in the kitchen. Having a knife pointed at one so early in the morning did that to a person. Especially when the knife wielder was a tiny kid who looked a little too much like the striker who was supposed to be on a morning run.

Nicky stumbled back in shock and horror, rubbing at his eyes as if that would clear the mirage that stood in front of him. A crash sounded somewhere in the bedroom he had just left, probably Andrew fumbling awake at his scream, and then muttered curses that sounded like Kevin.

Andrew appeared first, wild eyed and panicked, tugging at his hastily pulled on armbands as he looked around for an intruder or any threat in the room while Kevin stumbled after him appearing to be sleep walking.

Nicky pointed in front of him, too shaken to speak and Andrew stopped mid-step, eyes going wide and mouth falling open in bafflement though no words came out. Nicky would have commented on his cousin’s lost composure if only he hadn’t been feeling the same.

Neil, because yes it was most _definitely_ Neil, looked more than just a few feet shorter than Nicky or even _Andrew_ really. His chubby cheeked face was flushed red and tear streaked and his auburn hair was wilder and untamed. Andrew’s shirt, that he had worn to bed last night was overlarge on his bird-boned frame now. He sniffled every few seconds but the knife in his hands did not falter, did not tremble. His hands were steady, ready and perfectly willing to attack in an attempt to protect himself and Andrew marveled at that fact but really, it was to be expected.

Andrew had _learned_ how to wield knives when pressed, Neil had probably been handed one as soon he could grasp it.

Neil had frozen when Andrew had, his eyes darting to the armbands and obviously deducing what they hid and Andrew followed his gaze, watching as Neil’s eyes filled with a familiar fear and he stepped back, knife still raised trying to get away from him.

Andrew should have expected it but perhaps his mind was still muddled with sleep and he was a second too late to call out a warning.

Neil ran.

“He’s gonna run!” Andrew yelled.

“Catch him!” Nicky called out.

“Fuck!” Kevin swore.

Neil ran to the main door first, knife clutched tight in his white knuckled grip and found it locked. His hands no longer reached the handle and a sob of frustration tore itself from his throat at the realization before he booked it to the bedroom. Andrew might have found some amusement in Neil’s predicament for _older_ Neil did tease Andrew relentlessly about not being able to reach the higher shelves despite being almost just as short. Andrew might have smirked and said, _“Serves you right.”_ but the sheer terror he saw on Neil’s young face gutted him.

With nowhere else to go, Neil panicked and ran to the bathroom. Neil was going too fast to stop and he was too desperate to care when he ran into the door frame. He yelped in pain but did not stop until he was huddled against the tub. There were tears tracking fresh marks over Neil’s cheeks now and his chest heaved. The knife remained in Neil’s right hand, pointed at them as Andrew, Nicky and Kevin piled into the doorway, falling over each other from the early morning chase while his left hand cupped his right knee. Andrew could see red seeping through and gritted his teeth.

“Nei- _Nathaniel_.” His voice was calm but the name tasted like ash on his tongue. “Nathaniel. I need you to put the knife down. You’re safe.” Neil’s shirt slipped down his shoulder and Neil did not bother covering it up. Andrew wondered for a brief second what ‘safe’ would mean to a child already scarred by a hot clothes iron from his own father.

Neil’s eyes once again fell to his armbands and Andrew sighed in defeat. Slowly, he fell to his knees so as to not startle Neil or appear imposing to a child this small and carefully pulled the offending clothes off his arms. He held them in front of Neil, surrendering and then threw them into the tub behind him. Andrew’s arms were laid bare, scars and skin and vulnerability traded for vulnerability and Neil’s lips parted on an unasked question. In reply, Andrew held his hands above his head, raised himself from his kneeling position as slowly as he had lowered himself to it and moved back, prompting the others out of the door too. He had done what he could, now it was up to Neil to decide whether he trusted Andrew or not.

“You’re safe. No one will hurt you here. Come out. We’ll take a look at your knee-” Andrew looked pointedly at the bleeding wound still hidden behind Neil’s hand, unable not to mention something that worried him, “-and then you can tell us what you want to do. No one here has any weapons, it’s only fair you don’t have one either, right?”

Andrew knew he had him. It was easy to snag Neil’s attention through deals and logic but he wasn’t expecting Neil’s bottom lip to tremble shakily. His eyes were wide and pleading when he opened his mouth, voice stretched thin with emotion and asked, _“Mom..?”_

There was a beat of silence. The first words out of Neil’s mouth during this entire spectacle and they were to ask after his mother. No one quite knew how to answer that question. Andrew debated telling him that his mother was dead right off the bat, no use lying right? but Neil was already fear stricken and panicked. He did not want to add to it. Nicky choked on a sob behind him, the bleeding heart that he was.

It was Kevin who answered. “She dropped you with us for a few days so you’ll be safe. She has some work but she didn’t want to leave you at home. She’ll be back for you soon. You’re safe here in the meanwhile.”

Surprisingly, it was enough. _This_ version of Neil was still innocent enough to trust easily despite the life he mostly definitely led at home and Andrew found himself torn between scorn and admiration. Neil was so _soft_ , and _innocent_ and easily pacified and it grated on Andrew but then he remembered that he _himself_ had been much the same years ago. In fact, that weakness in him had led him into becoming the person he was today.

Neil placed the knife on the floor beside him and uncurled his hand that had been protecting his knee and Andrew saw that the blood was from a cut the size of his pinkie. It looked nasty and Andrew hoped Neil did not have to get stitches for it. He probably got enough of those at home due to his bastard of a father and Andrew was not going to let there be another scratch on this child while and for however long he was here.

Neil took a cautious step forward and Andrew held his hand out, once again baring his weaknesses to him. His heart had been a cagey thing in his chest since his abrupt awakening this morning but it settled as Neil grasped his hand, the size of it unfamiliarly small in his.

-

Neil sat on the sofa, the tip of his right thumb pushed into his mouth while he sucked at it gently. Andrew tramped down the need to pull it down; it was not as if Neil wouldn’t do the same thing minutes later despite being told not to. Instead he focused his attention on Aaron who knelt in front of Neil, still looking a little hazy though one could not tell if it was from sleep or shock. He had been called to attend to the cut on Neil’s knee and make sure it did not need stitches.

“Neil, Aaron is going to be a doctor soon. He’ll make your knee better.” Nicky smiled at Neil from where he was perched on the sofa beside the kid. He had cleaned up Neil’s tear streaked face and gently washed away the blood from his left hand with a wash cloth that he still clutched.

Neil looked up at him and blinked once. “So he’s not a _real_ doctor.” Andrew suppressed a snort at the snark in Neil’s voice and Aaron came out of his stupor to bare his teeth at the kid.

“Still a mouthy little shit. You can go _limp_ your way to a _real_ doctor with your bleeding knee if you want. I don’t care.”

Three sets of voices protested and admonished this response.

“ _Aaron!_ ” Nicky whined.

“ _Aaron…”_ Kevin rubbed at his head and rolled his eyes.

“ _Aaron.”_ Andrew deadpanned.

Aaron threw up his hands in response and reached for the first aid kit, “ _Fine!_ I’ll do it!”

Aaron got to work and Kevin got to bed but Neil turned to Andrew and smiled deviously. Andrew raised a single brow and sighed. Even _this_ Neil was a little shit who liked stirring up trouble and despite his growing fondness, Andrew wanted _his_ Neil back but until that happened, he was going to protect this little version of him because in the end, it was _Neil_ after all and Andrew could not help it when it came to the martyr junkie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil is being difficult and Wymack finally makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A BIG thank you to every one who commented and gave kudos on the first chapters! I wasn't expecting the response and it was OVERWHELMING! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Andrew discovered that Nathaniel was _quiet_. Somehow that child managed to embody the silence of both, a prey – cautious and fearful, as well as a predator – his eyes a brilliant blue and sharp with intelligence as they tracked every movement of Andrews’. He had been keeping an eye on Nicky too but it was likely Neil had written off the man as harmless after he fumbled and slipped on his own feet. He had peeked into the bedroom as well when he probably thought Andrew wasn’t looking and then quickly turned back and shut the door at the sound of Kevin’s loud snoring, expression disdainful.

Despite this there was a _childishness_ to him that Neil couldn’t hide and Nicky couldn’t ignore as he huffed a laugh, happiness crinkling the edges of his eyes while Neil flicked his feet in a swift dainty movement. The sock Andrew had been trying to get him to wear slid right off Neil’s feet almost smacking Andrew in the face from where he knelt in front of the kid. Andrew shot him a look and Neil puffed his cheeks out in pettiness.

“I don’t wanna.”

Andrew replied by pointedly slipping the overlarge sock over the bare foot again, knowing it wont fit but Andrew would _tape_ it down if he had to. “Guess what? I didn’t ask you. I told you you’re wearing it and you _will_. We don’t have anything in your size right now and we’re going out. You’re coming with us and you’re not going barefoot.”

Neil flicked both his feet again, making the socks slide down once more. “Nope. I’ll go barefoot.”

Andrew was at the end of his rope. He had known children were often difficult but stretching a simple fifteen second task to a fifteen _minute_ quarrel was a level of pettiness only Neil could achieve, Andrew was sure.

Andrew flicked him a bored look and Neil looked back defiantly, “Fine. Get your feet dirty then. No one’s picking you up.” It was simply wise to give up. Arguing with Neil of all people was a fools errand.

“Andrew! That’s mean.” Nicky quipped from the kitchen.

“Forget the fucking socks. Can we get going now?” Kevin grumbled.

Andrew got up without a word and made his way to the door where Aaron was leaning against the wall, mouth pinched with either worry or aggravation at being woken up early. Neil jumped down from the sofa and waddled his way over, his small form swamped in the shirt that he had woken up in as well a jacket of Andrew’s zipped up to the neck.

“Neil, you sure you don’t want something to eat? You must hungry, kiddo.”, Nicky tried for possibly the fourth time that morning but Neil simply shook his head.

As they made their way down to the parking lot, Andrew thought that they were lucky most of the population of Fox Tower was either on vacation or sleeping in, tired from late night parties because there was no way to hide an entire _child_ walking among college going students. The presence of a child on the grounds would be suspicious enough but a child being seen with the infamous exy team would be _scandalous_. People would think they had kidnapped Neil and it was simply too early to deal with that.

Neil tugged at Andrew’s shirt as he unlocked the Maserati and looked up at him. “Where are we going?”

Andrew thought about saying that they were going to dump him on someone else’s head because everyone had unanimously agreed they couldn’t look after a child. No one knew how and it wasn’t as if it was simple situation of babysitting either. It was about babysitting an adult who had somehow, _magically_ (or so Nicky claimed, with Kevin agreeing with a wide eyed enthusiastic nod of his head), been regressed to a five, six, seven or however many years old Neil was. Wymack better know how to deal with this.

On second thought, Andrew could just go back to bed and _not_ deal with this shit. Easy.

Neil tugged again, more insistently now and Andrew’s lips flattened into a displeased line. “A friend. He can . . . ~~deal with you~~ get you some better fitted clothes.” Most probably Abby would.

Neil nodded sagely as if it was matter of high importance and then refused to get into car until Nicky gave up and got in first, allowing Neil to slide in after him, pressed against the door. Nicky tried coaxing him to sit closer and Andrew watched with interest as Neil shook his head vehemently, his face twisting into something uncomfortable and fearful until Nicky noticed and gave up.

There was a weight that sat heavy in Andrew’s chest as he started up the car, his memory still flashing back to the awful expression on Neil’s face mere minutes ago. He knew Neil hadn’t had a stellar childhood either, not with someone like Nathan Wesninski and Mary Hatford around but _seeing_ the ripple effects such people left and _knowing_ of them were two different things. Andrew was used to older Neil attempting to deal with his traumas in a mostly calm and logical manner, sometimes completely trying to gloss them over as inconsequential unless pushed but seeing them on a _child_ , seeing such a young Neil look frightened of _Nicky_ of all people did not sit well Andrew.

Neil may have _'magically'_ regressed to his younger self but Andrew thought it would be much more useful if he could go back to the past somehow and put an end to the ceaseless and senseless cruelty of Nathan Wesninski before it could touch Neil.

-

Surprisingly, Neil decided to stick close to Andrew as the elevator ascended to the seventh floor of Wymack’s apartment building and surprisingly, Andrew did not mind. Neil still stood with his back to the wall but his side was pressed as close to Andrew’s leg as it could without it seeming as if he was standing close.

Neil followed the group obligingly when the elevator stopped though he dragged behind a little with the way he limped because of his bandaged knee. Nicky looked at him pityingly, his fingers twitching as if to pick him up but luckily for him, he knew better than to test Andrew’s limits by now. Neil hadn’t wanted to be touched and had looked uncomfortable in the car. Now he was in a new place with people he sort of trusted but not really and he was wary. Touching wouldn’t go over well. Kevin too looked back, uneasy at not having helped a _child_ but then continued onwards with his head ducked to his chest though his walk had slowed a little. Aaron simply sighed with exasperation and walked beside his brother just a few steps ahead of Neil so the kid could catch up.

No one bothered to knock. Each person present had a key to the apartment after all and Andrew did keep warning the man about his lax security. Wymack did not pay much heed to his warnings so he could learn to live with the consequences.

Half past eight in the morning was much too early for a Monster invasion in Wymack’s apartment and accordingly his voice came from the office, gruff and unwelcome as always to someone who did not know enough to look for the fond undercurrent ran that beneath it.

Heavy steps punctuated his words, “What the fuck are you maggots doing here this early?!” Wymack appeared like a human storm cloud into the living room, his loud voice thunderous and sturdy frame much too large for Neil whose eyes widened and breathing picked up. His fingers reached for Andrew, latching onto his shirt in a desperate grip.

Wymack still hadn’t mentioned the unusual lack of a certain striker or noticed the unusual appearance of a familiar looking child in their midst. He cocked a brow and stepped closer, “Well? Any reason?” he demanded.

Neil had neatly slotted himself behind Andrew and Andrew could feel the pull on his shirt as Neil twisted the fabric in his fist anxiously. Andrew preferred it when Neil was happy and calm, not because it _mattered_ to him, of course not. It was just . . . _convenient_ when he was. That’s it.

So Andrew reached back and lightly placed a hand on Neil’s head, his fingers gentle as they ran through his hair, never pulling, never cruel. Neil relaxed just a little under his ministrations.

Andrew's expression was indifferent as always when Andrew looked at Wymack but the casual tone of his voice was misleading. “Coach.”

Wymack stopped abruptly, sensing the difference and it was then that he followed the twist of Andrew’s arm behind him and saw that it rested on a kid’s head, his auburn hair ruffled where Andrew had smoothed down his fingers. His cheeks smooth now, unmarred from any sign of violence but his eyes were a startlingly familiar blue – pale and bright and intelligent and _fearful_.

“Jesus _fuck_ . . . what the. . ?”

“Yeah.”, it was Aaron’s dry voice answered though Wymack paid no mind, too busy staring.

“Is that. . .No! It can’t be-”

Kevin snorted, “Neil? Trust me, it is.”

Wymack blinked, his face morphing into confusion and then misery as he fell heavily on the couch while his hands fell on his face. His voice was muffled but the words were familiar, “I am _not_ paid enough for this shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone give Wymack a break.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated! I love what knowing you guys think and they make me really happy!  
> Let me know if there's something you would like to see here.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
